Toshi ICHIYANAGI
“Funakakushi” – Obscure Tape Music of Japan vol.17

“Funakakushi” (1963). This electronic work was composed for opening ceremony of hotel “Funakakushi-en” in Kagawa prefecture in 1963. It was realized like sound installation used many speakers built-in stone sculpture. They were designed by sculptor Mitsu-aki Sora (b. 1933) and were arranged here and there at main garden of the hotel. The sound was made from modified Japanese traditional instrument Biwa and sea wave sound. Engineer Junosuke Okuyama [3] assisted for electronic devices.
“Life Music (tape version)” (1964). Life Music was composed as tape version originally in 1964. After then, this work was played as another version with electronic modified orchestra (contact microphones were put on al instruments of the orchestra at Nissei Theatre in 1966. Junosuke Okuyama designed special effect machine named Electronics Sound Breaker (=ESB) for the concert. Kuniharu Akiyama, music critic, wrote about this machine on liner notes of “Orchestral Space” LP as follows, “…amplified sound of the orchestra was sent to some effect machines and ESB, and they were driven by tape version. Just then, electronic amplification was cut off synchronously by silent parts of the tape, and only non-effect live sound was played…”